Making Love Out of (Almost) Nothing At All for the Pixel Fan ⭐

Google launched its 2026 Pixel devices today, and it's no surprise that the updates are minor at best. But thanks to the ongoing component crisis and the resulting cost increases, Google has made subtle changes to the new lineup across the board. And this is giving me throwback vibes to the dark days of the Pixel 4 and 5 series, when the company stopped paying for expensive flagship Snapdragon chips ahead of the availability of its first Tensor CPUs. But this isn't about doing more with less. It's about doing less and spending more.

I know that sounds unfair, and there is some good news here. But there is also bad news here, too much bad news. And that good news, such as it is, is mostly minor in nature.

Here's what's happening.

Pixel phones are $100 more per model than was the case one year ago. Samsung announced new folding phones a month ago with higher prices than the equivalent devices a year ago, and Apple will soon announce more expensive iPhone models, including its first-ever foldable iPhone. So all eyes were on Google this week to see where the new Pixels would land from a cost perspective. And here's your answer: The Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold are each $100 more expensive than the devices they replace. Which isn't all that bad, honestly. Except for ...

Base Pixel Pro models get only 12 GB of RAM, a downgrade from last year. The Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro now start with 256 GB of RAM, compared to 128 GB last year, and that makes the $100 price increase a bit easier to take. But the base Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL now come with just 12 GB of RAM, compared to 16 GB of RAM last year. To get 16 GB of RAM with these devices, you need to upgrade to 512 GB of storage, which raises the price by $120 in each case. (The Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes with 16 GB of RAM in all configurations.) And 512 GB is all you can get: For all Pro models, there are no 1 TB or larger storage configurations at any price. Given the performance issues with Tensor as-is, the RAM decrease in the Pro models is particularly problematic: Tensor is allegedly optimized for AI, but AI needs RAM to do its thing.

Pixel Watch 5 is $50 more expensive than Pixel Watch 4. In keeping with the phone price increases, the Pixel Watch 5 is $50 more than its equivalent predecessor as well. Physically, the new Pixel Watch looks identical to its predecessor, and it uses the same weird charging connector. There are a few new features, which we can expect to come to older Pixel Watch models in the months ahead. And there is a small internal upgrade, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 processor and more RAM. And new colors, of course, plus a satin pyrite aluminum build for the $580 (!) Stephen Curry edition and the less expensive olive-colored Pixel Watch 3s. Whatever that means.

The Google AI Pro offer is cut from 12 months to 6 months for Pro models. With Gemini hitting one billion monthly users, it's perhaps not surprising that Google is...